DVDizzy Forum

Alan Menken talks about the status of the remake in this video and in an article:

“The Little Mermaid,” we’ve had two meetings and Lin is very busy with his “In the Heights” movie. Rob Marshall is doing work on the movie right now, casting ideas and things like that. I’ve seen a treatment and think it’s going to be great. But we haven’t written anything together yet. I just have some musical ideas I’ve been playing with. It’s early stages.

Source: https://www.moviefone.com/2019/05/22/co ... w-aladdin/

Oh, I'm glad you think Zendaya can sing and act, too! I wish everyone would be perfectly cast for this...but you know, I would love Gaga as Ursula. Really.

With how the live-action films are faring so far, I'm curious if Disney will ever consider scrapping future ones like this which haven't really gotten far along in development.

JeanGreyForever wrote:With how the live-action films are faring so far, I'm curious if Disney will ever consider scrapping future ones like this which haven't really gotten far along in development.

I don't get what were they thinking. It was expected that people would get tired of these remakes at some point.
I think they'll still produce The Little Mermaid.

farerb wrote:

JeanGreyForever wrote:With how the live-action films are faring so far, I'm curious if Disney will ever consider scrapping future ones like this which haven't really gotten far along in development.

I don't get what were they thinking. It was expected that people would get tired of these remakes at some point.
I think they'll still produce The Little Mermaid.

Besides Snow White, this is really their most lucrative property left so I imagine Disney will attempt to milk both of them, no matter the negative buzz. The rest may quietly disappear or be relegated to the streaming service. Actually, I'm surprised we haven't heard them interested in live-action remakes for films like Toy Story or The Incredibles. I guess Pixar is too protective of their properties for the most part.

JeanGreyForever wrote:

farerb wrote: I don't get what were they thinking. It was expected that people would get tired of these remakes at some point.
I think they'll still produce The Little Mermaid.

Besides Snow White, this is really their most lucrative property left so I imagine Disney will attempt to milk both of them, no matter the negative buzz. The rest may quietly disappear or be relegated to the streaming service. Actually, I'm surprised we haven't heard them interested in live-action remakes for films like Toy Story or The Incredibles. I guess Pixar is too protective of their properties for the most part.

My guess is because both are essentially turned into franchises and they can always make more and more sequels. Making a sequel to hand drawn animation is more difficult and they don't have the equipment anymore so they just remake those and make sequels to the remakes (Maleficent II, Through the Looking Glass, etc...).

Disney doesn’t care if the reviews are bad. What matters is the box office and even the disappointing Dumbo has grossed more than twice its budget.

Even if these films are reviewed badly, haven't they all more than made up their budget and marketing costs ?

I can't find exact figures for marketing etc, so can't be 100% sure. BATB I would have assumed smashed through their budget with their WW gross etc.

UmbrellaFish wrote:Disney doesn’t care if the reviews are bad. What matters is the box office and even the disappointing Dumbo has grossed more than twice its budget.

I agree. Disney only cares about success at the box office and home media sales. Why would these be reviewed well anyway? Most re-makes are hated by critics, and not just re-makes of classic Disney films. Re-makes rarely replace the originals in their iconic stature. There's a way to enjoy them for what they are--something of the moment, not meant to stand the test of time the way the originals are.

I'm really happy Jane Goldman is writting this movie, She is one of the best screenwriters working today !

I hope i can buy a book with the script for this movie when it's released.

Is Rob Marshall directing? I have some hope (not much) now.

MerPrincessJamie wrote:Is Rob Marshall directing? I have some hope (not much) now.

Yes, he's directing.

I hope the expanded Ursula. Maybe they can use her backstory from the musical of her being Ariel's aunt.

Songs. As in more than one. Hopefully, all of them will make it into the final cut. By the way, for which characters would you like a new song? I want a second solo for Ariel, a solo for Eric, and a duet between Ariel and Eric.

Q: How far along are you in [The Little Mermaid]?

Alan Menken: Two meetings in. I’ve written some of the music for the new songs. Lin Manuel Miranda is very involved in the In The Heights movie right now, so I guess we’ll get to it over the summer.

Source: https://screenrant.com/aladdin-2019-ala ... interview/

I’d like Ursula to have a new song, but seems like overkill for a movie.

Mostly, I expect Eric to get a solo the way Beast and Jasmine did in their respective re-makes. I’m not sure what else I would want and that wouldn't feel like too much for a film? I guess a duet between Ariel and Eric, but where to put it except during the wedding scene? What would be cool is if Eric did a reprise of PoYW about finding the mystery girl and then they sang it together at the end as Ariel walks out of the water to Eric on the beach.

Sotiris wrote:Hopefully, all of them will make it into the final cut...I want a second solo for Ariel, a solo for Eric, and a duet between Ariel and Eric.

^ THIS.

I know they probably won't import it, but If Only is a magical song, and it would be lovely if it could be contained within the film.

Sotiris wrote:a duet between Ariel and Eric.

It want it, too! Mostly due to the lack of a duet between them in the movie and how the Renaissance made the love duet a stock trope (regardless of how the later films threw them out of the window).

I’ve always found Little Mermaid to be really unbalanced music-wise simply because the movie is about a girl with supposedly the most beautiful voice, but she only gets one song and one reprise. The problem is that Ashman was her voice. I genuinely can’t imagine anyone writing a song that will ever capture the character lyrically the way he did.

nomad2010 wrote:I’ve always found Little Mermaid to be really unbalanced music-wise simply because the movie is about a girl with supposedly the most beautiful voice, but she only gets one song and one reprise. The problem is that Ashman was her voice. I genuinely can’t imagine anyone writing a song that will ever capture the character lyrically the way he did.

Agreed. It always amazes me how little Ariel sings, or for that matter, even Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Gaston sings more than Belle or Beast ever do.

It'll definitely be difficult for anyone else to come up with worthy material for Ariel after Ashman. There aren't really any scrapped songs for her that he created, except maybe the demo reprise of POYW and the finale reprise, both of which were cut. Aladdin gets two reprises of his I Want song so they could easily give Ariel more with Ashman's original music. I don't think Eric is nearly as important as Beast or Jasmine to get his own song, but I wouldn't mind a duet in the vein of Something There, with both characters singing introspectively.